Tidal Waves
by riptocs
Summary: Darius, Misty's adopted son, journeys to uncover the mystery of his past and his connection with the Pokemon around him.
1. Chapter 1

**Tidal Waves (A Pokémon Fic)**

**((I do not own Pokemon, only Darius and any other characters I may come up with...except Misty and other pre-established characters)**

**Chapter One: The Basic Strokes**

As Misty's adopted son, Darius was expected to be a master water Pokémon trainer and eventually work for the Pokémon League by running the Cerulean City Gym. There were a few reasons why Misty chose Darius as a young boy and strong swimming was only one of those reasons.

"Darius, are you ready to get out of the water and get some work done?" Misty giggled, watching the boy play in the water with her Dewgong. Dewgong was making waves with her tail to stop the boy from catching her, but stopped when she heard her trainer's voice.

"Dew-gong-gong!" The seal Pokémon briskly swam towards Misty and she returned her to her Pokéball.

"There we go, Dewgong, rest for now."

Next, Darius's head popped up above the surface of the water. "Aw, do we have to? I was having so much fun too…"

"Come on, you're already nine and a half already and you need to get stronger as a trainer. You want to get stronger, don't you?"

Darius nodded, "But I don't have any Pokémon of my own…how am I suppose to get stronger?"

Misty smiled, "That changes today. Is your head feeling okay? Do you need to rest before we do this?"

"How did you know…yeah…been hurting past couple of hours…but didn't want to stop playing…in the water it's not as bad."

"You always have this particular look about your eyes when you're in pain. Catch a quick nap first and I'll bring you your medicine soon."

"But Misty…what about working?" At the idea of getting his first Pokémon, the reluctance to train faded away.

"You'll get to meet your first Pokémon soon. Rest for now."

Darius scowled and went to his room.

**"Boy, you better bring something worth having tomorrow or you'll get an even bigger beating. Got that?" The man Darius had begun to know as his boss spat on his quivering body. His ribs were sore, though not broken, and his head was pounding so hard it felt like it was getting ready to burst.**

**"This isn't Goldenrod City, punk. See that building there? That's the Celadon City Department Store. Know what they got in there? I'll tell you what they got…an evolution stone, that's what it is. Do you hear me, boy?" The man roughly shook the boy, almost knocking him off his feet. "And let me tell you if you don't bring me something good next time you'll be sleeping out in the dump, out in the cold, you hear?"**

**Darius nodded and scurried away quickly before the man could do anymore harm to the boy's body. However his body wasn't the only thing giving him problems. He recognized what the intensity of his headache meant; he needed to use up some energy before it got to be too much for him to control. He did some short exercises as he walked towards the small shelter mostly made of discarded wood scraps, but at least it kept the rain and the cold at bay.**

**The image of his physical body shimmered as if it were a hologram as Darius stretched his mind in preparation to expend some energy. **_**It is good to see that you are still alive and well, little one. We will meet soon, until then do as the man tells you. I will be watching over you.**_

**Darius smiled as he reached out towards the familiar presence with his arm, almost as if he could touch it. But he knew he couldn't touch it, he never could, no matter how hard he tried or how far he reached. It was just good to know that someone was there. Instead of dwelling on his life he let his consciousness go, let his spirit travel to wherever he liked.**

**One of his most favorite places to go was the beach, and that's where his spirit headed. Sometimes he saw people gliding through the water as if they were floating, though he could never even imagine how that would work. He badly wished he could try it, though. But there were no pools or bodies of water in Celadon City. Only buildings and streets and lights.**

"Darius, here, wake up so you can take your medicine then you can go back to sleep…" Misty rubbed the sleeping boy's scalp, trying not to worsen his headache. When she saw his eyes open a tiny bit, she pressed a spoonful of foul smelling, thick, syrupy brown liquid to his lips. Darius groaned at the familiar scent and squirmed away from it.

"Do you want to have to go to the hospital again? I'm sure they wouldn't like to hear that you're not taking your medicine. Take it and the pain will be gone soon. It always works in the end, right?"

Darius grimaced and nodded before reluctantly swallowing the spoonful of liquid. It didn't take long for the pain in his head to slowly diminish to a dull throb, but Misty insisted he rest longer to make sure it went away completely.

**Out and back. Out and back. Reach out. Pull back. Darius liked watching that motion the best. From asking around he came to know that style of swimming was called "Free-style". He couldn't understand why it was called "free", though. It was a series of continuous motions that produced the same results. Forward and forward. Out and out.**

**To Darius there was more freedom to other styles. Keep your head above water. Arm up, bring it down, and smack the water. Other arm, bring it up, elbows bent push down on the water. And kick kick kick! Kick like your life depended on it for you couldn't survive on your arms alone. And the legs are helpless without the tireless work of the arms. Arm up, bring it down. Kick kick kick! Arm up, bring it down. Kick kick kick!**

**Next, on your back. Now there's freedom. Kick kick, push push, and bring them back. Back back, kick kick, push push, all over again. Backstroke. Looked more like a snow angel in the making…except in water.**

A big, wet, sloppy tongue woke Darius up.

"Dew-dewgong gong-gong!"

Darius rolled over in response to this cry, trying to ignore the seal Pokémon that was bigger than he was. Frustrated by the boy's stubbornness, Dewgong licked at the boy's scalp.

"Cut it out, will you? I'm up…" Darius sighed and swung his feet over the side of the bed.

"Gong-gong!"

Pulling on his swimsuit, Darius pondered what Misty said…was he really going to get a Pokémon? Or did he just imagine that she said that? He couldn't remember…

He pulled on a plain blue t-shirt and shuffled out of his room, stretching as he entered the pool room. It was actually the main gym where Misty battled other trainers occasionally which mainly held a large pool with a few floating platforms.

"Squirtle squirtle squirt!"

"Gong-gong!"

Darius gazed out into the pool and spotted Dewgong playing with a turtle-like Pokémon he recognized as a Squirtle. That was odd indeed…Misty didn't own any Squirtle. He would know. And there didn't seem to be any other trainers around or there would probably be a battle…

"Squirtle! Return! Oh, hey, Darius, you're up! Man, there goes my surprise!" Misty exclaimed bubbly as she withdrew the Squirtle back into its Pokéball.

"Surprise?" The clogs were slowly turning in Darius's head…slowly. "A Pokémon? Squirtle? Mine?" Yes, he could only manage to get out single words.

"Yeah, I know you're a bit young, but you are almost ten and it turns out Professor Oak got his newest shipment of Starter Pokémon from the Pokémon League just last week! When nobody claimed the Squirtle yesterday, he called me and asked if I knew any starting Pokémon trainer that…"

"Wait, so I'm going on a Pokémon journey?"

Though she was a bit peeved at being cut off in midsentence, Misty understood his excitement.

"Well technically you need to wait until you actually turn ten to start competing for badges, but until then you can train here with your Pokémon, catch wild Pokémon in the area, and prepare!" Misty grinned and tossed Squirtle's Pokéball over to Darius who caught it with relative ease.

"All right! My first Pokémon!" Darius smiled and threw the Pokéball like he had seen Misty do so many times when he watched her battle. "Go! Squirtle!"

**The light, why did it bother him? No matter, the sun could not be stopped no matter how much he wished it would. Another day, he wished he could sleep. But sleep was just beyond his reach, masked by the malicious presence of intense light.**

**He had something to do today, something for the boss. Evolution stones…he heard of them before. Water, fire, grass, sun…that was all he could name off the top of his head. Did they have them in the big building the boss mentioned? There were many big buildings in Celadon City, but he had a feeling he knew which one he was looking for.**

**The Department Store. Criminal's worst nightmare…it would be easier to get the money to buy a stone than to steal one, but that took time. And Pokémon, which he had none of. Nowadays you couldn't make anything unless you had Pokémon to battle with.**

**He spotted the occasional Rattata in the dumpsters and Pidgey roosting on the windowsills several hundred feet above his head, but he had no way to catch a Pokémon. He couldn't even afford a single measly Pokéball. But again, he didn't have time to come up with an elaborate Pokémon fantasy; he had realistic problems to handle.**

_**You are not focusing again, child.**_

**Darius smiled as the familiar presence touched his mind, almost comforting him. He couldn't talk back to whatever was talking to him, but he didn't mind. At the age of seven, anything mystical and mysterious was enticing.**

"**I will get through this day." Darius muttered to himself, getting up and out of his shelter and heading towards the tallest, widest building in the area.**

Darius winced as his headache started up again in full throttle. He tried his best not to let it show on his face, but it was too late. Misty saw.

"And I was thinking I'd take you to a specialist for your headaches, are they worse today?" Misty moved closer to Darius to support him in case he lost balance; the pain in his head would often interfere with his coordination and he sometimes hurt himself falling.

Darius nodded, surprised himself. He had only just gotten over his last headache, why had this one set in? Usually he only got one every two to three days, but today was different. He couldn't quite explain how, but they just seemed unusual.

"I'll get you some more medicine. In the meantime let's see if you feel better in the water. That usually helps." Misty led Darius towards the steps of the pool she had installed just for him two years ago. "Dewgong, take care of him for a bit. Squirtle, stay nearby…he's your trainer now and your friend."

Misty helped Darius sit comfortably on the stairs of the pool then walked off to the living section where the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms were attached to the gym.

"Dew…dewgong." The large seal Pokémon maneuvered herself behind Darius so the boy could lean back against her cool, sleek skin. The turtle Pokémon also swam over from the pool where Darius released him.

"Squirtle…."

Darius felt Squirtle's head beneath his hand and the pain in his head suddenly intensified.

**Darius always knew he was different, he could do things other people couldn't. And he often used that to his advantage.**

"**Yeah, HM 5, who needs it? Six hundred dollars for Flash? I could feel my way through Rock Tunnel for that much!"**

"**I bet my Charmeleon could lead the way…with his bright tail flame!"**

"**But not everyone has a fire Pokémon, you know."**

"**I'm sure you could win one from the Game Corner if you're lucky, if not I'll head to Cerulean City alone, thank you very much."**

**He tried his best to ignore the chatter, but so many noises around him was a lot to handle…especially when he was trying to focus at the same time. Nobody could see him. Nobody ever could when he focused hard enough, he had gotten away with many crimes like that.**

**Great, he got through the lobby without giving himself away. Up the stairs...**

"**Super Potion Super Sale! Seventeen bucks a potion!"**

"**Not only is the Ultra Ball better than your average Great Ball…but it looks better too!"**

"**One…two…three Full Heals…one…two…three Hyper Potions…one…two…"**

"**I'll throw in an extra Great Ball for six bucks."**

…**why do people have to talk so much?…up another level…**

"**Got any weed? I mean…herbs?"**

"**I know a great dealer in Cherrygrove that can sell you some prime Bluk berries for a nice price."**

"**Another Pokéblock for my little star, Igglybuff! We're sure to win the Cute Contest!"**

"**Perhaps I should substitute Fireblast for Flamethrower in the fourth round…"**

"**When did Pinlap berries get so expensive? Five dollars a berry is outrageous!"**

"**Those Pokéblock machines over in Shinoh are amazing…they make super smooth Pokéblocks in lickety split!"**

**"If I see any more of that retail price crap for TMs, I swear I'll take my business somewhere else!"**

"Darius, Darius, wake up! Wake UP!" Misty's voice seemed far away, though now he could feel her hands on his shoulders. But he couldn't make his body move…couldn't answer her. He tried to open his eyes but even that movement made his head burst with pain.

"Hello? ...Yes, I need an ambulance…Cerulean Pokémon Gym…yes he's breathing fine…takes medication for headaches…please hurry."

**Up one more, last floor until destination…**

**"Do you think Calcium would up my Golem's Special Defense too?"**

**"If you're having problems using the move too many times…I suggest PP UP for your Houndoom."**

**"Two hundred dollars for a Protein seems a bit pricey…are those Zincs on sale?"**

**"X-Attack would solve your problem for one battle, but it wears off after about fifteen minutes."**

**"See, I told you X-Speed wouldn't be sold out. And they're only twenty bucks a piece!"**

**"Not that we couldn't find those vitamins on the black market, it's just cheaper to make the trip here for a reduced price."**

**"A gold nugget? I'll give you five hundred for that…you know gold is pricey these days."**

"Squirtle…?" The turtle Pokémon nudged his owner's hand, wondering if he'd ever get a response. "_Kid…hey…yo, wake up…Misty's pretty worried so get up already, would ya?"_

Darius laid motionless on the hospital bed, just coming back to consciousness. At the back of his mind he wondered why he could understand what his Pokémon was saying to him…he knew that was definitely not normal. Then again, was anything about him normal? He opened his eyes tentatively and felt his Squirtle's smooth skin against his hand.

"Hey there, buddy…what's up?" his voice was so hoarse he could barely recognize it. There were so many questions he wanted to ask: How long was he out? Where was Misty? Where was he? And why did he feel so tired?

"_Nothing much, you only passed out as soon as I touched ya and totally made Misty freak…she called an ambulance and they brought you here and they were about to do some weird tests then here you are, awake and shining like a freshly polished Metapod._"

Okay…so he could actually understand his Pokémon? Darius sat up and removed his hand from his Pokémon's grasp before speaking again. "Where's Misty?"

"Squirtle squirtle, squirt squirt, squirtle! Squirtle squirtle!"

Darius stared, dumbfounded. Just barely three seconds ago he could understand his Squirtle's babbling as if it were English…what happened???

"Okay…whatever…you're one weird Pokémon." Darius swung his legs over the side of the bed and attempted to lift himself up. He definitely felt better, less dizzy and lethargic, so why wouldn't he be able to stand up? But before he knew it, Squirtle was gripping his hand again.

"_Easy, kid, Misty will be seriously ticked if she finds out you've just been strolling around after this ordeal…just sit back and enjoy the room service, like I have!_" Squirtle pointed to a nearby table where crumbs littered a stack of plates and the tabletop they sat upon.

"Wait…how can I understand you again???"

"_Understand me? You're a human…you're too stupid to understand Pokémon talk…but apparently since you can understand me, you must be smart! Smarter than normal humans anyway…and that's not saying much._"

"Great…so my Squirtle's a smart aleck…and talks too much…" Darius once again pulled his hand away and proceeded to get up again.

"Darius!" Misty rushed into the room and pulled her adopted son into a hug. "Thank god you're awake! I've been so worried! Are you feeling any better? How's your head feel? Should I get you some more pain medicine?"

"Misty. Can't. Breath. Too tight!"

"Oh, sorry!" Misty eased most of the pressure from the boy, but did not let him go entirely.

"Misty, really, I feel fine now…"

"I know, sweetie, but I was just so worried. I have to go back to the gym soon, so be good while I'm gone, okay?"

"But why can't I come back home? I don't like it here…Squirtle keeps talking to me…"

"Of course he's talking to you…he wants to be friends!"

"Oh…okay. But still, I'd really like to see the gym battle. I do need to start paying attention more now that I have my very own Pokémon."

"Well I'll talk to your doctor here and see if she can approve you to leave now that you're all right…but we'll be going back to the doctor tomorrow to see if he can make heads or tails of this increase of headaches business."

**(( Please R&R! ))**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: The Wading Pool**

"Can we get on with this already? I've been waiting since two o'clock and my bugs need some fresh air…and a fresh battle. My name is Samuel the Bug Catcher extraordinaire and I challenge you to a gym battle!" The boy looked to be about thirteen years old and had long, dark brown hair.

"All right, let's make this battle two out of three. Hope your bugs like to get wet or this will be a rough ride. Seaking, go!" Misty threw her first Pokéball, revealing a red and white fish Pokémon with a relatively huge horn on its head.

"Here's Dustox!" Samuel threw his Pokéball as well, which released a moth-like Pokémon with a purple body and green wings with red spots.

"Dustox, use Poison Powder!"

Dustox flapped its fragile looking wings with surprising speed, expelling a spray of purple powder.

"Dive, Seaking!"

The Seaking propelled itself under water before the powder could touch it. Upon landing on the surface of the water, the toxic powder slowly started to collect in a layer upon the water's surface. Darius silently wondered how this would affect the battle, not sure if Misty herself was aware of the possible problem.

"Now, Whirlpool!"

"Seeeeee-king! Seaking, See!" Though the very round and large fish Pokémon didn't look like it, he could actually swim pretty fast. Darius knew this from experience. He had foolishly believed he could out-swim that particular Seaking a couple of months ago and agitated him while in the pool, only to receive a sharp poke in the behind from his horn.

"Interesting technique to reduce the effect of my Dustox's Poison Powder, I guess they don't call you a gym leader for nothing."

Darius glanced at the water's surface again; the noxious purple dust had disappeared! Wait, not disappeared. Darius took a closer look, noticing that the water still had a slightly purple tint. It hadn't disappeared, it was all resting on the bottom of the pool!

"I've just had plenty of practice with bug Pokémon. Seaking, Water Gun!"

Seaking surfaced and a strong stream of water erupted from its mouth, headed right towards the opposing moth. But upon contact, the Dustox seemed to disappear with two other copies of it on either side.

"Great job on that Double Team, Dustox!"

Double Team, Darius recalled, was a defensive attack splitting the one form of a Pokémon into three, two of them would disappear when hit with an attack while one was the real one. But he had little knowledge of what kinds of Pokémon would be able to use an attack like that and he certainly didn't think Dustox was one of them. So, now there were two Dustox flying around; one was the real one and one was a fake. Misty shouldn't risk making Seaking vulnerable by attacking one of the two figures while the other one could be the real one, but what should she do? But despite Darius's outlook on the situation, Misty didn't seem worried.

"Seaking, try Rain Dance!"

Rain Dance? How would that help Seaking now? Making it rain would boost water type attacks, but how would that help if she still attacked the wrong one?

"Horn Drill now! The one on the right!"

Before Darius could even begin to contemplate why Misty would go ahead and attack, Seaking struck. The large fish Pokémon leapt out of the water and Darius could see the wicked long horn on its head spinning ferociously.

"Seeeee-king!" They connected! And Dustox went down with a plop as it hit the water.

"But…how did you know? Nobody's ever been able to see through my Dustox's Double Team before." Samuel returned Dustox to its Pokéball and grabbed another out of his bag.

"Well at first I couldn't see through it, that's why I used Rain Dance. You see, the copy wouldn't get wet! The drops of water would go right through it! The real Dustox had water dripping off its wings!" Misty casually returned Seaking to its Pokéball while Samuel released his second Pokémon.

"Go, Scyther!"

Darius had never seen a Pokémon like it before, it was green and stood on two legs and its arms had blades on it. It reminded him of an extinct Pokémon Misty once told him about named Kabutops and he silently wondered if there was any connection between the two.

"It's your turn, Dewgong!"

"Scyther, use Fury Attack!"

"Scyther!" The green blade freak charged at Dewgong, its bladed arms out in front of its body. Darius could see the glint of the sharp blades and became worried about his friend Pokémon. He glanced at Misty for a clue of what she would do, but her expression was calm and composed, even bored.

"Dewgong, finish this off quickly with an Ice Beam."

"Dew-gong-gong!" Immediately, the seal Pokémon whipped into action, hitting the Scyther with a light blue, almost white, beam from its mouth. Darius predicted what would happen next, the Scyther would be encased in ice starting with wherever it got hit. And he was right, the bug Pokémon was completely frozen.

"But…how…?" Samuel returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball and stared at Misty.

"Scyther is bug and flying type, and flying types are weak against ice type attacks. Oh dear, I'm afraid that's two out of three. Good luck next time! That is, unless you want to challenge me again right now." But Misty's smug look apparently intimidated the boy enough and he rushed out of the gym.

"When can I start on my Pokémon journey like Samuel?" Darius spoke up at dinner.

"Like I've said before, as soon as we get your headaches under control and perhaps when you turn nine." Misty said, taking another bite of her salad. "Besides, do you think you're ready? You haven't even gotten to know your Pokémon yet…"

"I know I'm ready, I can hold my own in a battle, I'm sure of it!" Darius gripped his fork tightly as he spoke.

"Still, can't you just wait a couple more weeks until your birthday at least? I don't want you to rush into anything you can't handle."

"I know…I'm just excited…"

"I'll tell you what. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to at least go around town a bit…I know you haven't been out much since I brought you here and it would do you good to get to know some people around here and perhaps even catch some Pokémon."

"Really? I can have Pokéballs to catch Pokémon of my own? And battle?"

"I don't see why not, as long as you stay in town for now. That means no wandering off into the forest or Mt. Moon or any crazy adventures."

"Thanks, Misty!" Darius picked up his fork again and eagerly devoured the rest of his pasta and salad. "You won't regret this! I'll be a strong trainer just like you!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: A Step into the Shallow End**

**Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Just a few more steps…**

**Finally, yet another set of vendors selling more junk…but where are those evolution stones? Oh, those…just about as useless to Darius as Pokéblocks…but for some reason his boss wanted them.**

**Just behind that glass case…should be fairly simple; at least he could see them. That made things a lot easier.**

**A little flex there, just imagine what you want to happen, and poof! One teleported Thunderstone. Two, a Firestone. Three, a Waterstone. Four, a Leafstone.**

**Now just to get out of here…**

**"Hey! Where did they go?!"**

**"Theives! You swiped them!"**

**"No it wasn't me, I swear, I don't have them!"**

**"Empty your pockets!"**

**How easy it was to avoid being caught.**

**Now just to make it back down stairs and…bingo.**

Darius woke up with his Squirtle right next to him, sleeping on the same pillow. He was considering taking the time to wake his Pokémon up, but then he remembered Misty's promise the evening before. He had spent the rest of the night packing a backpack full of almost nothing…he didn't have very much that would be useful around town but he liked the feeling of being off on his own. And he also prepared a fanny-pack he planned to keep his Pokéballs in, though he much preferred keeping at least his Squirtle outside of its Pokéball. Who knows whether he'd do that with his other Pokémon yet?

"Squirtle! Squirtle squirtle!" Darius paused and turned around when he heard his Pokémon's cries. What he saw made him laugh; his Squirtle was stuck on his back! He went back and picked up his Pokémon, then chuckled.

"You sure can be funny sometimes, Squirtle."

_"Not as funny looking as you, but we'll work on that later."_

Darius stopped again, looking at the Squirtle in his arms.

"Wait…I can understand you again?"

_"Apparently so, it seems you're not as dumb as you look."_

"What's your problem with how I look?"

_"Nothing, besides the fact that you're ugly."_

"Well you're ugly too."

_"I already knew that, I was just expecting more out of my so-called trainer."_

Darius stopped and placed his Squirtle back on the ground on his back before continuing on his way.

"Squirtle! Squirtle squirtle squirtle!"

"Ah, there you are, Darius!" Misty was at the stove frying up something that smelled yummy. "I was just making breakfast for you to start off a very exciting day!"

"When do we go to the Pokémart to get my new Pokéballs?" Darius asked eagerly, taking his place at the table.

"As soon as you're ready, after you eat some breakfast that is." Misty served Darius some eggs and bacon as well as a piece of toast. After the two were finished breakfast, Misty drove him to the Pokémart.

"Here's ten dollars, enough for five Pokéballs. And here's Squirtle's Pokéball!" Misty handed the Pokéball to Darius and smiled.

"I thought I'd let you wander around for a few hours before coming to pick you up. Meet me back here in an hour?"

"Sure sure." Darius hopped out of the car, Pokéball in hand. He didn't even look back to watch Misty drive off before heading into the Pokémart. By Cerulean City standards, the Pokémart was a large building. It was only rivaled in size by the gym and Pokémon Center.

"Can I help you with anything?" A woman at the register asked cheerfully.

"Yes please, can I get five Pokéballs?" Darius spoke softly, glancing around the store. Misty had often showed him some items she kept on her during gym battles and he recognized them on the shelf.

In one aisle there were healing items. Darius could easily pick out Potions and Super Potions, but he knew he couldn't afford to buy any right now. Other items were unfamiliar to him, however, including a rather large assortment of berries. In the next aisle he recognized Antidotes and Paralyze Heals, but that was all he could name. The final aisle contained Pokéballs and Greatballs along with random accessory items such as authentic gold nuggets and a Scope Lens.

"That will be ten dollars," The cashier had already gotten out some Pokéballs from behind the counter and placed them on top.

"Thanks," Darius said, handing the bill to the woman and collecting his Pokéballs. As he went to put them in his fanny pack, Squirtle broke free of the Pokéball that was inside.

"Squirtle squirt!" Darius smiled, apparently happy to see his companion despite the earlier conflict.

"Hello to you too, Squirtle. What should we do now? I've got the Pokéballs."

"Squirtle squirtle…squirt squirt squirtle!"

"Oh…that's right…I can't understand you…for now at least." Squirtle rolled his eyes and put his hand on Darius's leg.

_"See? Now you can understand me. I've figured it out, unlike someone. You can understand Pokémon speech when you touch me!"_ He then paused and muttered, _"Idiot."_

"I heard that…why don't you try being nice for a change? I mean, you're supposed to be my Pokémon and all, right? We can't work together if you keep being a jerk."

_"I guess you're right, but it's just so much fun to pick on you! I suppose I can keep the comments to a minimum for a while…master."_ Squirtle snickered and shot Darius a smile. Darius grinned back tentatively as Squirtle removed his hand, but the grin slowly disappeared as he was approached by a brown haired young lady.

"Oh, what's that? A Squirtle! Lucky, those are rare! Where in the world did you find one of those? Or is it one from the old Oak's lab? Are you a new trainer? I'm Claire! What's your name?" She wasn't really tall, but not as short as Darius; perhaps about three inches taller than him. What really stood out to him was her hair. It seemed to fall around her face in a gorgeous pattern and Darius couldn't help but stare for a few seconds before answering.

"Hi. I'm Darius, and yeah this is my Squirtle." He barely got out his response before Claire erupted into another series of questions.

"Does he have a nickname? I nickname all of my Pokémon! What other Pokémon do you have? I have a Weedil named Bugsy, a Rattata named Grace, and a Poliwag named Corkscrew!"

"No…Squirtle is my only Pokémon."

"Are you from around here? I lived in Viridian City before I started my Pokémon journey and the Pewter gym leader, Brock, was too tough for my poor little Bugsy so I was hoping I'd have some luck with the Cerulean City gym leader! I think Misty is her name, right?"

"Yeah, Misty is her name. I actually live with her; she adopted me two years ago."

"Really?! That's so cool! I heard she specializes in Water Pokémon, is that true? What's it like having a gym leader as a mom?"

"She's not my mom, I don't have any parents."

"Oh…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Dive Right In!**

"Have you ever thought of nicknaming your Squirtle?" Claire asked, purchasing her own items from the Pokémart with Darius accompanying her.

"Not really, but I guess I could if it wanted a nickname." Darius looked down at Squirtle, who responded with a shrug before touching his leg.

_"If you're going to nickname me something, at least make sure it's good. I'd like something tough, yet not too cruel or maniacal."_

"I don't know, Claire. How did you come up names for your Pokémon?"

"Easy," Claire collected her change from the store clerk and put her merchandise into her backpack, which turned out to be two Pokéballs and three Potions, "I just look at them and try to pick out whatever outstanding feature I see in them and name them after that. Bugsy is obvious, I named Corkscrew after the spiral on his tummy, but Grace was harder. I guess sometimes the names just come to you."

Darius kept his eyes on Squirtle, taking Claire's words into consideration. "Well you're fast in the water and hard headed…how about something like…Tough Speed Swimmer?"

"Maybe you'd better just stick with Squirtle for now. Don't worry, when the time is right a nickname will come to you!" Claire giggled and grabbed Darius's hand. "Come on, let's battle outside!"

Before Darius could refuse, he felt himself being dragged out of the Pokémart. Claire was already grabbing a Pokéball out of her backpack.

"Grace, let's go!" Claire yelled, throwing her Pokéball.

"Rattata!" Grace posed, keeping its head low to the ground while exposing its fangs which looked way too big for its head.

"Um…all right, Squirtle, let's go!" Darius watched his Squirtle as it moved within striking distance.

"Squirtle, the turtle Pokémon. It shelters itself in its shell, then strikes back with spouts of water at every opportunity. Level fourteen." A mechanical voice sounded from Claire's backpack, startling her.

"Oops, I guess I forgot to check my Pokédex first," Claire exclaimed, removing the strange red machine from her backpack, "Level fourteen? But you just got him…how could he be so strong?"

Darius shrugged; Misty hadn't ever mentioned his Squirtle's level to him and he didn't think it mattered much. A Pokémon's strength only depended on the smarts of its trainer, after all.

"Well Grace is level eleven, but level isn't everything! Grace, Tail Whip!"

The small Pokémon leapt into action with a cry, easily maneuvering around the slower moving Squirtle and hitting him repeatedly with her tail. Squirtle cringed helplessly; it was more vulnerable to attack. But Darius thought fast.

"Withdraw, Squirtle!"

Squirtle pulled its limbs and head into its shell, shielding it from further lashes from Grace's tail. Upon hitting the turtle Pokémon's shell with her tail a few more times, Grace finally paused in front of Squirtle, prepared to strike.

"Now, Water Gun!"

Out of the hole in Squirtle's shell that his head would have emerged from, came a pressurized stream of water, hitting the Rattata in the face and knocking it backwards.

"Grace, Quick Attack!"

"Rattata rat!" Grace went from a standstill to a jog then advanced to a lightning fast sprint in barely two seconds. She circled the shelled Squirtle once, dodging a second Water Gun, then rammed into the side of his protected body. The force of the Quick Attack sent Squirtle flying through the air, right through the window of the adjacent Pokémart with a loud crash.

"What in the world?!" Darius heard the shopkeeper yell, stepping out of the store a few minutes later holding his fainted Squirtle and sporting a large bump on his head.

"Pokémon battles…figures. Please just be more careful next time, okay? And for heaven sakes don't battle near buildings!" The shopkeeper, later Darius found out he was a friend of Misty's, handed the boy his Pokémon and glared angrily at the shattered window as if willing it to fix itself.

"Um…sure thing. Sorry about your window." Darius muttered, walking away from the scene without even a backwards glance towards the girl he was just battling. Little did he know that Claire was following him from a distance, keeping her footfalls light in order to keep her presence concealed.

"I've got it!" Darius exclaimed out of nowhere and Claire stopped in her tracks, wondering if he heard her.

"I'll name you Turbo!" Darius smiled gleefully at the fainted Pokémon he was still carrying in his arms.

"I thought I told you I'd pick you up at the Pokémart. What made you decide to walk home?" Misty glanced at her son while continuing to grill the cheese sandwiches she had planned to make for Darius for lunch after she picked him up.

"I don't know, I just felt like going home. And besides, it wasn't that long a walk. I would estimate it to barely a mile."

"Still, I was worried when I didn't find you at the Pokémart…especially when Norman said your Squirtle was involved with the shop window breaking. What was that about, anyway?"

"I met a girl."

"That's the most information I'll get out of you, isn't it? I know you, you only get so terse when you don't want to talk about something."

"It's not really that I don't want to talk about it, there just is not much to say."

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes."

"Is she kind?"

"Yes."

"Well, what else is she like?"

"She…she is interesting."

"Interesting, eh?" Misty flipped the sandwich onto a plate and handed it to Darius.

"Yes, interesting. Will Turbo be okay?"

"Sure will, we can take him to the Pokémon Center after you're done with lunch."


End file.
